Matches to Make After UFC 215

Nunes retained the 135-pound championship, improved to 2-0 in her
head-to-head series with Shevchenko and took a split decision over
the Kyrgyzstani kickboxer in the UFC 215 main event on Saturday at
Rogers Place in Edmonton, Alberta. All three judges scored it
48-47: Sal D’Amato and David Therien for Nunes, Tony Weeks for
Shevchenko. The gold was going nowhere.

Neither woman managed to distance herself from the other. Nunes
landed more significant strikes than Shevchenko in every round but
the fifth, according to preliminary FightMetric data. The
29-year-old American Top Team standout also recorded the only two
takedowns of the fight, one in the first round and another in the
fifth, as she continued to put her stamp on the division once ruled
by Ronda
Rousey.

In the aftermath of UFC 215 “Nunes vs. Shevchenko 2,” here are five
matches that ought to be made:

Amanda
Nunes vs. Holly Holm:
Nunes finds herself on six-fight winning streak after she denied
Shevchenko’s bid to unseat her. The performance while far from
stellar should quiet some of the concern regarding the Brazilian
champion’s stamina, as Nunes kept a deliberate but effective pace
and showed no signs of fatigue in the fourth and fifth rounds.
Where future opponents go from here remains anyone’s guess. With
Shevchenko out of the picture for the time being, Nunes can focus
on other worthy challengers inside the division. Holm last competed
at UFC Fight Night 111 on June 17, when she knocked out Bethe
Correia with a head kick in Kallang, Singapore.

Rafael dos
Anjos vs. Robbie
Lawler: Stock in dos Anjos soared in the co-main event, as the
former lightweight champion submitted Elevation Fight Team export
Neil
Magny with a first-round arm-triangle choke to improve to 2-0
at 170 pounds. The Brazilian chopped down Magny with a leg kick,
settled in top position and ultimately achieved full mount. From
there, he applied his ground-and-pound and framed the choke when
the opportunity presented itself. Magny had no choice but to tap
out. Lawler returned from a yearlong absence at UFC 214 on July 29,
when he picked up a three-round unanimous decision over Donald
Cerrone in Anaheim, California.

Henry
Cejudo vs. Sergio
Pettis: Cejudo dazzled in his latest outing, as he disposed of
onetime EliteXC champion Wilson Reis
with second-round punches and made a world-class flyweight look
downright pedestrian. The 2008 Olympic gold medalist carved up Reis
with multi-punch combinations before sighting in his powerful right
hand. Cejudo floored the Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt early in
the second round, followed him to the canvas and mopped up what was
left with unanswered punches. Roufusport’s Pettis has rattled off
four straight victories, the latest coming in a five-round
unanimous decision over Brandon
Moreno in the UFC Fight Night 114 main event on Aug. 5.

Ilir
Latifi vs. Abdul Kerim-Edilov: While he may never grow into a
title contender, Latifi provides a valuable service to the UFC as a
litmus test at 205 pounds. The Allstars Training Center rep handed
blue-chip Australian prospect Tyson Pedro
his first defeat in their light heavyweight showcase, as he was
awarded a unanimous decision after three rounds. Scores were 29-28,
29-28 and 30-27. Latifi has picked up four wins across his last
five outings, a knockout loss to Ryan Bader at
UFC Fight Night 93 his only hiccup. Kerim-Edilov made a memorable
promotional debut at UFC Fight Night 115 on Sept. 2, when he
dispatched Bojan
Mihajlovic with second-round punches. The 25-year-old Chechen
has won 11 fights in a row.

Ketlen
Vieira vs. Alexis
Davis: The undefeated Vieira made her intentions in the UFC
women’s bantamweight division known, as she submitted 2004 Olympic
silver medalist Sara McMann
with an arm-triangle choke in the second round of their undercard
pairing at 135 pounds. The decisive victory pushed the Brazilian to
3-0 in the UFC and infused a top-heavy division with new life.
Davis, 32, has not fought since she captured a unanimous decision
from the standup-challenged Cindy
Dandois at UFC Fight Night 108 on April 22. Wins over the
aforementioned Nunes, Tonya
Evinger (twice), Liz
Carmouche and Sarah
Kaufman anchor her resume.